The Heart of a Warrior
by Thani
Summary: Motoko finds herself in a pickle. But then the unexpected happens...chapter 2 up!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: sadly, I own none of Love Hina, the girls, Keitaro, that's Ken Akamatsu's property, but this still is about Love Hina (of course)  
  
This story takes place a little while after Keitaro and Naru get married (assuming that they get married shortly after the end of the manga.which I STILL have not managed to finish. Oh, yeah, I don't know if this happens, but Seta and Haruka are married, have been for almost a year.  
  
---//--- Motoko was walking home from the dojo, alone, as usual, except that this time, it was in the rain. She was walking rather brusquely anticipating a long, relaxing soak in the hot tubs followed by a good meal. A few blocks from Hinata Inn, large van came inches from running her over. 'Hmm. Seta must be home with Haruka, that obviously was his lousy driving' the tall samurai thought 'it will be interesting to see how I fare against him today.' She lengthened her stride further, in a futile effort not to get too wet. 'My skills have been improving, and I should be a good match for him.' She was so focused on her impending battle that she failed to notice that Su didn't come running to greet her, as was the usual. She also didn't see that Keitaro and Naru had returned after their honeymoon, and were sitting down with the rest of the gang, their attention fixed on a newcomer. "Seta! You have arrived! My day is now full. I have trained hard since our last meeting, and now am confident of my skill! Guard!" The warrior maiden shouted this word, and Seta, always an obliging man ran to meet her attack. They met briefly, colliding in midair, and then attacked in force, each raining blows on the other, but neither striking home.   
"Motoko" Seta said, breathing lightly, "Haven't you heard the news? Haruka is bearing my child!" This threw Motoko off balance, just as Seta had hoped, for he immediately scored a hit on the astonished girl. "She's due in about a month, and we're busy deciding on names for the little one," Seta continued.   
"Good fight," came an unfamiliar voice from the table. "I watch. You good, know much, maybe I see more one day, yes?" the speaker continued in fragmented and heavily accented Japanese. Motoko, finally noticing the speaker, blushed a deep crimson at the sight of his lean and muscular frame, and then blushed harder at her powerful reaction to the mere sight of him. "I know small with sword, small with hands. Maybe we fight?"   
'This boy-no, he's too old **and cute** to be a boy- doesn't realize what he's saying. There is no way that he could ever be my equal, much less my superior' Motoko thought. "Who are you? I have not seen you around Hinata before." Motoko enquired, trying not to let her strange attraction to this unknown male show.  
"In case you not know, I speak Japanese good no." the lad said with a self- condescending smile. "I let them tell." He pointed at Keitaro and Haruka. Motoko looked over at them with a start, instantly ashamed at her lack of attentiveness caused by her battle with Seta, then this stranger.   
"Oh, Haruka! Congratulations on your incipient motherhood! Hi, Keitaro. Where's Naru?"  
"Oh, she's up in her room, but I think you want to know more about Kairho here." Keitaro surmised, taking in the samurai's lack of control with amusement. Kairho, upon hearing his name, assumed that he was being introduced, bowed and smiled at Motoko. "Seta was driving along in the rain, rather in a rush, when he ran over Kairho here. He stopped to see if he was hurt, then invited him to Hinata Inn to weather out the storm." Kairho broke in at this point. "I no get hurt. Have hard head. Thanking Seta for hosp. kindness he show me. From America. Orphan, want to go to Japan. Learn little Japanese and come over on first boat ready. Japanese me not good, but I try for you, if you no know English, I hear Japanese good, no can talk." With this he switched to English.   
***Author's note-for the sake of continuance, just assume that everything Kairho says is English, and that everything anyone else says is Japanese***   
"Seta was kind enough to offer my a brief stay here so that I could 'get back on my feet' as it were." "He smells yummy!" Su interjected. "Thank... you, Su...I think," the bewildered American replied. "Anyway, unless anyone objects, I'll just go dry off, and get ready for the evening meal." Seeing no such objection, the lad left. Motoko watched the receding man with just barely veiled interest. 'He moves with such grace that I could believe that he is a fighter' she thought to herself. She suddenly became aware of everyone staring at her. "Motoko, you're drooling!" exclaimed Kitsune. "And here I thought that you were incapable of falling in love with anyone!"   
"Motoko's in lo-ove, Motoko's in lo-ove!" chanted Su, prancing around Motoko. "You still will play with me, won't you?" she questioned with big, sad eyes. "No, no, no!" exclaimed Motoko, a bit flustered. "I'm not in love with him! It's just that he..uh.. He's a warrior! And it is my duty to assess every aspect of his capabilities." Blushing slightly, she continued, "Which is what I am going to continue, right now!" With that the maiden of the sword turned hastily and left, tripping over a chair and running into the wall in the process.   
"Kairho!" she called, "You may have your fight now!" Expecting no response, she was startled to see the American standing at the opening of his doorway. "You know, I was hoping that you'd say that," Kairho said with a shy smile. "When shall we fight?" "Right now." Motoko declared. 'I have to restore my honor and prove to the others that I feel nothing for Kairho as soon as possible!', she thought somewhat frantically. Motoko tossed Kairho a practice sword and said, "You have ten minutes to prepare; I will meet you outside as the rain has abated...What are you staring at?!" Kairho looked away, embarrassed that he had been staring so openly at the lovely maiden before him. "Ah...never mind. Ten minutes, you say? Good. That will give me time to warm up." Then the two warriors, both oblivious to the feelings of the other, left to prepare for the duel. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I still don't own Love Hina.  
  
After parting ways with Motoko, Kairho walked to the courtyard  
where he expected to fight her, after picking up his blade from his room on   
the way. He began his warm-up stretches then stopped abruptly, wondering   
'Just what the hell am I doing?! I don't want to fight her, I'd end up   
loosing my focus and staring at her graceful slender body…wow! What a   
girl…NO! I must only think of her as my opponent!' He continued to   
stretch. Unknown to him, Motoko was having those same thoughts as she was   
warming up on the other side of the courtyard.  
  
'Why am I drawn to this foreigner? I don't want to fight him; I   
think I'm in love with him. Me and my big mouth, just to soothe my pride…   
Would it be so bad if I actually had a boyfriend? It hasn't hurt Naru any,   
and she actually seems better off for it.' Realizing that she was   
daydreaming of life with Kairho, she said, "No. I must focus on the task   
at hand. My only thoughts can be on defeating him!" And she continued to   
stretch.  
"Are you ready?" Motoko asked, taking her extra sword and passing   
it to Kairho.  
"Yeah, but no thanks. I have my own sword." So saying, he knelt   
and drew a strange sword-strange, that is, to Motoko. It was shaped much   
like her kitana, except that it had a slightly curved blade and a brass   
appearing knuckle guard arcing down over the hilt. He took the blade in   
his left hand, vertically in front of him, and kissed it in a fighter'   
salute. He followed it with a light wink, and said, "Your weapon of choice   
is the kitana, Mine: the saber." He sheathed his blade, and then asked   
Motoko "Shall we begin?" She nodded, so he pulled off his shirt to allow   
more freedom of motion, and then redrew his blade with a steely hiss.   
"Guard."  
Motoko was slightly off balance as he asked her if she was ready,   
and was totally unprepared for the sight of his firm, muscled torso and his   
well-muscled arms. She shook her head as he said "Guard" and ran to   
strike, to end this quickly.  
Kairho took up a left-handed fencing posture as Motoko came flying   
at him. He parried her strike, redirecting it to his immediate right,   
opening up a strike of his own. He thrust carefully, presenting his wrist   
to his opponent as she dodged his attack and returned a furious swipe that   
would have decapitated him, had he not ducked under her blow. Kairho   
tapped her lightly with the flat of his blade as she passed by him.   
Motoko, realizing that he was indeed a skilled swordsman, retreated, then   
came at him classic kendo style, raining blows on him. Kairho, unprepared   
for this furious assault, leaped aside and parried her strikes. Blow after   
blow was turned aside until Motoko scored a small hit on his side. Kairho   
immediately went on the offensive, striking right, feinting left: counter   
strike, parry, clash, and slash, thrust. The two warriors were locked in   
an intricate dance, neither giving an inch, until Kairho slapped Motoko   
lightly in the ribs on a counter thrust. For some reason, this absolutely   
infuriated Motoko, who quickly sprang back. She then leaped up and   
unleashed a huge blast of ki from her sword, directly at Kairho with a   
wordless shout. She was overcome with chagrin as he stood his ground and   
deflected her blast with his blade in a defensive crouch. Though   
surprised, she followed her advantage with an overhead slash that he caught   
on his saber. They stepped apart, breathing lightly. Kairho took the   
initiative and ran straight towards her, sword raised. As she raised her   
blade to block him, he sprang lightly up, bounced off of her outstretched   
blade and, in the air directly behind her let loose a large blast of ki.   
Believing that she would not be able to block it, he didn't follow up the   
attack. However, Motoko dodged slightly and blocked his blast with one of   
her own. She then rushed to the attack. They exchanged a flurry of blows   
that left them locked, hilt-to-hilt, each straining to gain the upper hand.   
Motoko was glaring fiercely at Kairho, when he leaned over their locked   
blades and lightly, ever so gently, kissed her. Motoko slightly swooned at   
the intensity of his kiss, then, eyes going wide broke away from him.  
"How dare you," she shouted wildly, making an incredible leaping   
slash at Kairho. Kairho, a little bewildered at her response just barely   
got his saber up in time to block her strike that disarmed them both. They   
stood about two meters away, panting heavily, Motoko's kitana stabbed in   
the ground beside Kairho, Kairho's saber stuck in beside Motoko. Motoko   
was staring wide-eyed at the lean body before her, still tasting the   
intensity of the kiss and blushing a deep red. And then, Keitaro and the   
girls walked in. Su ran over to Motoko with a towel, followed by Naru and   
Shinobu, while Keitaro and Kitsune walked to Kairho.  
"Are you all right, Motoko?" Naru asked. "Yeah, you's face is all   
red and you gots big eyes!" Su chimed in. Motoko looked around   
frantically, as if looking for an answer. Finding none, she ran and ran   
until she reached the hot tubs. Stripping, she sank in up to her neck,   
still blushing and breathing heavily. Then, overwhelmed by the battle   
raging within her mind, she started to cry. Naru, who had followed her,   
said "Motoko, What's the matter? Really?"  
"Naru, how do you feel when you're around Keitaro?" the younger   
girl asked, blushing.  
"Well," said Naru, blushing as well, "I guess I feel sort of warm,   
and wobbly, when he's staring at me. And when he's holding me, I feel safe   
and protected, and when he's just close by, I feel stronger because he's   
near." She paused for a moment, gauging Motoko's mood and questions before   
asking, "Do you think that you love Kairho?"  
"NO! I don't love him…I can't love him. He's just a weakling,   
just a man, I don't…" and she trailed off with a sigh. "Yeah, I think that   
I do, at least a little. He… well, he kissed me in the middle of our   
battle, but I think that that might have been just to distract me…"She   
flushed a bright red as she recalled the kiss. "I'm just so confused.   
What should I do?"  
"Well," Naru began…  
***From the kiss, Kairho's point of view***  
Kairho, locked body-to-body with Motoko, and more aware of her   
presence than ever, did the only thing that he thought was logical; he   
leaned over and kissed her. He was taken aback by her violent reaction,   
and a bit dismayed when she ran from him. He reached out to her retreating   
back as she ran from him. Keitaro noticed this and asked him what was   
wrong, and the confused lad just shook his head. "Are all the girls here   
like that," he asked, indicating the fleeing girl, being followed by Naru   
and Shinobu.  
"Well," Keitaro said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "it   
depends on what you do, really…I usually got sent into orbit when I do   
something wrong, but what did you do to make her that flustered? Kiss her   
or something?"  
"…"  
"Ohhhhhh. I understand perfectly. You see, Motoko is sort of   
married to her sword. That's just about the only thing that matters to   
her. For her to have feelings for a guy, well, to the rest of us, that's   
unthinkable. Motoko is the perfect woman: devoted loyal, trusting, but   
it's all to her blade. Well, I'd better go check up on them; make sure   
that they're all right." And he left.  
A few minutes later, Keitaro flew by Kairho. "SEE WHAT I   
MEANNNNNN" he yelled, as he flew by. When he saw Motoko standing there   
with her fist in the air, pointed towards him, Kairho sweat dropped.  
Seta came hurriedly striding towards the group, looking a little   
worried.  
"What's the matter, Seta?" Kitsune asked.  
"Ah, yes…now what was the matter…" Everyone sweat dropped. "Ah,   
yes! That was it! Haruka's gone into premature labor.  
"WHAT?!" 


End file.
